International Track program
The LFSF IB based International Track program equips students from K to Gr12 with transferable, future-ready skills and internationally recognized qualifications.
International mindedness
In alignment with the IB philosophy, the aim of the LFSF International Track, from the primary years and up, is to develop internationally minded people who recognize their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet. Central to this aim is international-mindedness.
MULTILINGUALISM
The iTrack program further enhances the development of international-mindedness through multilingualism. Students are required to study in English and in French, and study additional languages. This is because we believe that communicating in more than one language helps students to appreciate that his or her own language, culture and world view are just one of many. In this way, it provides excellent opportunities to develop intercultural understanding and respect.
Global Learning
International-mindedness is a multifaceted concept that captures a way of thinking, being and acting characterized by an openness to the world and a recognition of our deep interconnectedness to others. To be open to the world, we need to understand it. Our iTrack bilingual program therefore provides students with opportunities for sustained inquiry into a range of local and global issues and ideas.
Students are encouraged to reflect on their own perspective, culture and identities, as well as those of others. By engaging with diverse beliefs, values and experiences, and by learning to think and collaborate across cultures and disciplines, LFSF iTrack students gain the understanding necessary to make progress towards a more peaceful world.
International-mindedness is also encouraged through a focus on global engagement and meaningful service with the community, therefore challenging students to critically consider power and privilege, and to recognize that they hold this planet and its resources in trust for future generations. They are encouraged to move beyond awareness and understanding to engagement, action and bringing about meaningful change to make a more peaceful and sustainable world for everyone.
A holistic approach
The iTrack places the student at the center of the education in a representation referred to as the Learner Profile .
The Learner Profile identifies 10 attributes that highlight the importance of curiosity and compassion, as well as developing knowledge and skills. Cognitive development is just the beginning. Social, emotional and physical well-being, ensuring that students learn to respect themselves, others and the world around them are also fundamental to developing internationally minded students who can help to build a better world.
Teachers help students to develop these attributes over the course of their education. Students are encouraged to demonstrate these traits in increasingly robust and sophisticated ways as they mature.
A broad, balanced, conceptual and connected curriculum
Throughout the elementary, middle and high school years, the iTrack provides a developmentally appropriate curriculum. Its IB framework is broad, balanced, conceptual and connected: students have access to a wide range of academic studies and learning experiences.
The iTrack program emphasizes the importance of making connections, exploring the relationships between academic disciplines, and learning about the world in ways that reach beyond the scope of individual subjects, offering students authentic opportunities to connect their learning to the world around them.
Approaches to teaching and learning
Specific approaches to teaching and learning play a crucial role in ensuring that the aspirations of the IB powered LFSF iTrack become a reality in the classroom. The approaches are centered on a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection—an interplay of asking, doing and thinking—that informs the daily activities of teachers and learners. They also place a great deal of emphasis on relationships, reflecting the belief that educational outcomes are profoundly shaped by the relationships between teachers and students.
Measuring outcomes
Assessment is ongoing, varied and integral to the curriculum, using a range of strategies and tools to assess student learning. Emphasis is placed on the importance of analyzing assessment data to inform teaching and learning, and on recognizing that students benefit by learning how to assess their own work and the work of others.
To measure what students have learned and to monitor their progress, teachers of the iTrack use a range of assessment strategies including formative assessments that provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to develop their teaching and by students to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and target areas that need improvement. Teachers use summative assessments which are internationally benchmarked for older students, and are criterion-referenced. This means students are measured against a set of agreed upon learning outcomes rather than graded on a “bell curve” as in norm-referenced assessments.
*LFSF is a Candidate School* for the IB programs, pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that LFSF believes is important for our students.
*Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme, or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org